THE All Kerala IT Dealers' Association (AKITDA) will launch a campaign against the growing menace of electronic waste, said Mr Raghu Warrier, the association's State General Secretary.

Addressing a press conference in the city on Friday, he said the campaign would be inaugurated during the association's district convention to be held in the city on November 20. The campaign will specifically target the prevailing practice of bringing in electronic waste from the US and other developed countries by passing it off as second-hand computers, he added.

The association's complaint cell will also be inaugurated during the convention, said Mr Warrier. Customers who buy computers or other IT equipment from dealers who are members of the AKITDA can register complaints with this cell. The association will establish a complaint cell in each district of the State, he added.

A lucky dip competition will be launched during the association's Thiruvananthapuram district convention. Customers who buy goods worth over Rs 1,000 from any member of the AKITDA will be eligible to participate in this contest.

The association has also decided that it will not participate in hartals in the future, said Mr Warrier. As part of this initiative, the association has decided to support the demand to declare the State's IT industry an `essential service'.